The Kid - Softcover

Sapphire

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143121200 ISBN 13: 9780143121206

Publisher: Penguin Group USA, 2012

Synopsis

From the bestselling author of Push, a story of survival and awakening--and one young man's remarkable strength

The Kid brings us deep into the interior life of Abdul Jones, son of Sapphire's unforgettable heroine, Precious. Left alone by his mother's death to navigate in a world where love and hate sometimes hideously masquerade, forced to confront unspeakable violence, his history, and the dark corners of his own heart, Abdul claws his way toward adulthood. In a generational story that moves with the speed of thought from a Mississippi dirt farm to Harlem in its heyday, from a troubled Catholic orphanage to downtown artists' lofts, The Kid is a soaring tale of body and spirit, rooted in the hungers of flesh and of the soul.

About this title

Review:

"A devastating voice, demanding and raw . . . an accomplished work of art." -- THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

"The breathtaking velocity and visceral power of her prose soars off the page...The Kid gives us a story and a narrative voice which, like his mother's before him, should definitely be heard." -- THE GUARDIAN (UK)

"[P]owerful... affecting and harrowing." -- Michiko Kakutani, THE NEW YORK TIMES

"[Sapphire] remains fearlessly committed to telling uncomfortable truths... Like Push, The Kid is deeply moving and unflinching." -- ESSENCE

"The Kid's unflinching authenticity makes it tough yet ultimately rewarding to read." -- PEOPLE

"Steely-eyed, full-frontal daring." -- PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

From the Back Cover:

'Hardcore. Brave, bold, uncompromising. The breathtaking velocity and visceral power of Sapphire's prose soars off the page' Observer

Abdul Jones is nine years old when his mother Precious dies. Parentless, he is sent first to a foster home and then to a Catholic orphanage. But the priests charged to care for him abuse his trust terribly.

And Abdul, a victim, finds that he reacts in the most frightening way imaginable. Soon he is trapped in a dark cycle of sexual violence and betrayal. Yet through dance, in controlling his body, he discovers a way he might somehow break free and become himself . . .

A harrowing and powerful novel set in New York, The Kid is a portrait of a boy forced to grow up in a cruel and callous world.

'A fearless writer and thinker of enormous talent, insight and skill. Abdul's story is frighteningly realistic. A consummate work of art, style and brains. Full of the energy of pain, rage, grief and doubt' List

'Devastating. An accomplished work of art . . . hard to forget' Los Angeles Times

'Exhilarating' Independent

'Urgent, troubling, harrowing, masterfully narrated, powerful' Diva

'Unflinching' Guardian

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Group USA
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0143121200
• ISBN 13: 9780143121206
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 374